Happy Easter, Everyone--or Almost Everyone!

Easter is a holiday that perhaps almost everyone (maybe everyone?) can enjoy. It offers so much.

I am writing this less than a week before April 21, 2019, which is Easter 2019 for the majority of Christians. Eastern Orthodox Christians will celebrate Easter a week later on April 28, 2019. I won’t go into why it’s different, but a Birmingham Mail article¹ and a GreekReporter.com article² are two of many online articles that discuss this.

Secular Easter

As a child, I loved Easter. Milk-chocolate rabbits, marshmallow rabbits, and Easter baskets filled with goodies made it nice. Coloring Easter eggs, then hiding and hunting them added to the fun.

As an adult, I still enjoy hiding and finding Easter eggs, eating tasty candy in moderation, and experiencing other secular aspects of the holiday.

However, Easter is made up of much more than the activities I described earlier in this article.

Like many others, I often omitted the main thing. The Easter story about Jesus's crucifixion and resurrection is what Easter is really all about.

Christian Easter

After I became a Christian, I more fully realized the importance of Easter to believers. Christian congregations around the world celebrate the resurrection of Jesus on Easter Sunday. In fact, some Christians use the term "resurrection Sunday" to describe Easter Sunday.

While resurrection from the dead may seem scientifically impossible, think about it. We know CPR can revive people considered dead. Also, there are documented stories of persons in hospitals or funeral homes that were pronounced dead by medical professionals, but these “dead” individuals were later found alive. You can do a Google search to find numerous online articles about these cases. Furthermore, in the plant kingdom we know that a seed “dead” for years can grow a huge tree when planted in the soil, watered, and given sunlight.     

However, even among Christians, there is disagreement over whether or not Jesus actually rose from the dead. However, Christians who don’t believe in a literal resurrection are in the minority. A 2017 BBC survey³ found ¼ of British Christians did not believe in the resurrection. A 2016 Rassmussen^® Reports survey⁴ indicated that about ¾ of American adults believed in the resurrection, including both Christians and nonChristians.

Regardless of your personal beliefs, Easter Sunday offers a marvelous opportunity for those who have not been to church in a long while (or ever) to visit. Even if you are a nonbeliever, you may find the atmosphere, decorations, music, fellowship, and message enjoyable. Many churches offer special services and are especially welcoming to visitors at Easter.

But congregations of Christians typically welcome visitors to any of their services on any day. You don't need to wait for next Easter (or Christmas or any other special occasion) to visit.

Beginning a New Life 

Indeed, any day is a great day to celebrate Easter, to begin a new life, to be born again. Any time is a wonderful time to resolve to turn one's life around. One can decide at any time to sincerely pray to God, to renounce one's sins, and to seek to live a new life. We can't do it on our own, but we can all live a new, joy-filled Christian life under the direction and control of the highest righteous power, God.

We can repent of our sins and live a new life in obedience to God anytime. Happy Easter, everyone!—regardless of what day you’re reading this.

ENDNOTES:

¹ Bentley, David; “When is Greek Easter 2019? Dates for Greek Orthodox Easter and why it’s different”; BirminghamLive (the digital version of the Birmingham Mail); https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/when-greek-orthodox-easter-2019-9002486  ; April 2, 2019; website accessed April 16, 2019.

² Smith, John; “Why Orthodox and Eastern Easter Are on Different Dates”; Greek Reporter; https://greece.greekreporter.com/2019/04/14/why-orthodox-and-western-easter-are-on-different-dates/;  April 14, 2019; website accessed April 16, 2019.

³ “Resurrection did not happen, say quarter of Christians”; BBC; https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-39153121; April 9, 2017; website accessed April 18, 2019.

⁴ “Three quarters of Americans Believe Jesus Rose From the Dead”; Rasmussen^® Reports; http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/lifestyle/general_lifestyle/march_2016/three_quarters_of_americans_believe_jesus_rose_from_the_dead; March 24, 2016; website accessed April 18, 2019.

NOTE:

This piece is being submitted to Google Blogger on April 18, 2019. But, it is adapted and expanded from an article the author wrote for another website in 2013. The author has also written on the subject for other websites over the years.

This particular article was last updated on April 19, 2019.